Pulling a 5th wheel on level highway

Coach-man wrote:
OP never stated year of his truck, newermodels of RAM and most other models have a tow/haul button which is used when towing or hauling anything! Older models have OD off or lockout switch which is the same thing.

Ummm, nope, not by a long shot. The 47RE OD lockout button locks out OD - period. Tow/haul mode in my truck (see signature) does NOT lock out 5th or 6th gears (both overdrives); it modifies shift points, shift firmness, exhaust brake function and interaction with the service brake pedal, provides an automatic exhaust brake/transmission downshift function to decelerate or to hold speed on a downgrade, etc. The newer trucks are much more sophisticated than the 2nd generation Dodge with its simple OD lockout switch (yes, I had one in my 1996 Dodge V-10/47RE-equipped 3500 dually).

Rusty

I have an o4 Ram CTD with 196K miles on the clock About 100K towing a 33 1/2 ft
Fifthwheel,GVWR 14.9K
I tow in OD unless the stock 48RE tranny starts hunting,then I go to tow/haul. Actually,I usually catch it befor it changes gears. No problems as yet with the tranny.

Coach-man wrote:
OP never stated year of his truck, newermodels of RAM and most other models have a tow/haul button which is used when towing or hauling anything! Older models have OD off or lockout switch which is the same thing. OP needs to read HIS owners manual, which explains how he should tow or haul things.

It's in his sig. He has a 2001.

I don't think you can trust any owners manual to tell you the design weaknesses.

OP never stated year of his truck, newermodels of RAM and most other models have a tow/haul button which is used when towing or hauling anything! Older models have OD off or lockout switch which is the same thing. OP needs to read HIS owners manual, which explains how he should tow or haul things.

I have always used overdrive without tow/haul mode for over 200k miles and never had a problem. Be careful about personal opinions. Poor driving can damage transmissions.

Those early Dodge automatics were not well respected. Same with the Ford automatic behind the diesel in the same time period. And in OD you are hitting the trans pretty hard. But on level ground, without too much wind, one would think any trans should hold up.

Not a Dodge expert here, but you have a truck with a rebuilt and beefed up automatic. So at some point, either you or a PO had to rebuild that trans, and felt it needed improvement over stock. How many miles on it when it failed? Was it you or a PO that had it upgraded? The fact that it failed and needed upgrading might tell us something. Based on that I would probably give my trans a break when convenient to do so.

path1 wrote:
On page 140 of my 2001 Ram Truck Cummins Turbo Diesel, Dodge Owners Manual that I dug out of glove box it says...

"When to Lock Out Overdrive"

"When driving in hilly areas, towing a trailer, carrying a heavy load, or whenever frequent transmission shifting occurs, press the O/D OFF button. This will improve performance and reduce the potential for transmission overheating or failure due to excessive shifting."

My reading of this is as long as the tranny is holding OD without a lot of downshifting, it should be fine.

RustyJC wrote:

CWSWine wrote:
I would say if you can use two haul mode and it doesn't lock out OD then you will be fine.

The OP's truck doesn't have tow/haul mode - only an OD lockout switch.

Rusty

SO

CWSWine wrote:
I would say if you can use two haul mode and it doesn't lock out OD then you will be fine.

The OP's truck doesn't have tow/haul mode - only an OD lockout switch.

Rusty

psuce wrote:
This^^. Without knowing your tire size, but assuming a near "stock" size, your RPMs got to be around 2,400 in 3rd and 1,700 in OD. The 1,700 is much better scenario for the Cummins and will also net you better fuel mileage. Also 1700 is closer to peak torque.

I had a 2002 Ram 3500 dually with the Cummins HO and NV5600 6-speed manual with 4.10 rear axle. 5th gear in the NV5600 was 1:1 (direct) with 6th gear being an 0.73:1 overdrive. The 47RE 4th gear (OD) ratio is 0.69:1, very close to the NV5600 6th gear.

In 6th gear with LT235/85R-16E tires, my 2002 turned 2000 RPM @ 60 MPH, ~2170 RPM @ 65 MPH and ~2330 RPM at 70 MPH. The OP's truck should run slightly less in 4th (OD).

Rusty